EASIN - European Alien Species Information Network
Adding value to marine invasive seaweeds
Blue biotechnology is concerned with the exploration and exploitation of marine resources in order to develop new products with economic value, get new sources of energy, extract new active ingredients for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes or increase food supply.
Blue biotechnology is concerned with the exploration and exploitation of marine resources in order to develop new products with economic value, get new sources of energy, extract new active ingredients for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes or increase food supply.
Using the blue biotech approach, the EU funded project “Algae-to-Market Lab Ideas” aims to develop new products and services addressing invasive alien species (invasive macroalgae) in the Iberian North West Coast.
The project is focused on screening marine invasive macroalgae – such as Asparagopsis armata, Sargassum muticum, Codium fragile, Colpomenia peregrina, Grateloupia turuturu, Undaria pinnatifida, and Caulerpa cylindracea, among others – for the identification and isolation of high value molecules and enriched extracts with pharmacological, feed and food potential, adding value to marine invasive seaweeds and contributing to blue growth. Additionally the project also aims at developing innovative sensor-based monitoring tools to be integrated in an early-stage detector for invasive species.